Language is Everything

Happy New... what, exactly?

Will 2010 be the year when English-speaking people stop saying "two thousand and X" and start saying "twenty Y"? In theory, we should already be saying "twenty oh nine" — but theory rarely applies when it comes to language. Some academics think the changeover will happen in 2010; other experts predict 2011, 2013 or 2020...

In the meantime, here are some of our favourite photos from 2009 that we never got round to adding to our blog.

In June we were the main sponsor of Business Week, a five-day festival of 'can do' culminating in the Yorkshire International Business Convention in Bridlington. One of the highlights of the week was The Language is Everything Challenge. We gave three contestants — a business guru, a broadcaster and a student — twenty minutes to learn a new language from scratch, with intensive one-to-one coaching from three of our linguists. The photo below shows Tim Sanders, the bestselling American author and speaker, and Coco Zhao, one of our senior Mandarin linguists, just before Tim successfully phoned a branch of McDonald's in Beijing and found out what time they closed — without using any English!

 

In October we ran an Interpreting Mental Health training course with Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust. As Dawn Bowes, our senior account manager said, "Mental health work is very complex, and the role of the interpreter is crucial to patient well-being." Our photo below shows some of our interpreters after a session at the Gordon Hospital. Dawn is front row, second from left, and Gillian Trainor, the lead nurse at Brent Mental Health Services, is fourth from left in the front row.

 

Carolyn Burgess, our chairman, went to Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, in May and October this year. The purpose of her trips was to help build links between the UK and francophone Africa in the areas of trade, healthcare and education: Carolyn is a board member of AfrOx, an organisation working to improve cancer prevention and control in Africa, and she is also involved in the work of the Victoria Climbié School in Abidjan. Our photo shows Carolyn meeting Jean-Louis Billon, the president of the Côte d'Ivoire Chamber of Commerce.



Happy New Year from everyone at Language is Everything!

Who am I?

Dawn Bowes, our senior account manager, recently took part in an Aimhigher Primary Schools Activity Day. One of the highlights was a 'What's my line?' activity.

 

"The children had a tough time guessing what I did for a living," reports Dawn. "But they got there in the end — with some very searching questions!"

Language is Everything backs Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire

Language is Everything features as a case study in a new booklet called Contact centre opportunities, Hull & East Riding of Yorkshire. Produced by Hull Forward, it's all part of a campaign to encourage businesses to make their home in the region. (Click on the image for a larger version.)

Young Enterprise in action

Carol Curtis (our MD) and Dawn Bowes (our senior account manager), who have spent the past two months working with a Young Enterprise group at The Snaith School, were on hand as the pupils attended their first trade fair at St Stephen's shopping centre in Hull over the weekend.
 
 
 
"It was a good first day's trading," reports Carol. "We exceeded our expectations, and we're eagerly looking forward to our next event."

Encouraging the entrepreneurs of the future

Carolyn Burgess, our chairman, recently joined Ruth Badger (from the BBC's The Apprentice and Sky One's Badger or Bust) and 200 secondary school pupils for a special 'Badger's Sett' event at the University of Hull.

 

 

A few days later, Carolyn was involved in talks at the World Trade Centre Hull & Humber with Lord Mandelson, the business secretary, and Alan Johnson, the home secretary and the MP for West Hull and Hessle. Topics included ways to boost higher level skills and innovation.